Cruise #8: The Superbowl - Like Canadian Football, but with an audience

The most exciting thing I did on this cruise was something I'd never be able to do on land. I watched TV.

No, not the He-Man Christmas special. They're not showing that one anymore. Actually, they've replaced that on the crew channel with "The Perfect Storm", which makes as much sense as showing "Alive" on a USAir flight. But we also had the Superbowl.

There's a big-screen TV in the Atrium. I mean really big. Gabby Hayes big. It stretches from floor to ceiling, and is two stories tall from top to bottom. Beautiful picture, great sound, everything you could want for a game except for beer. In front of it is a bar. Advantage, Compton.

Kevin showed up mere seconds after getting on the ship and snaked he, Sam and I three seats right up front. By the time the game started, some 600 people were watching with us, in seats, leaning over balconies, or hanging off the stairs. Mostly vicious Giants fans at that. One Tom Brady fan made a peep midway through the game, and was immediately sent on Norwegian's "Torn Apart by Wild Dogs" excursion. Who brings wild dogs on a cruise ship? People from New Jersey.

Jock Crow and Jock Tom Servo watch the game

New England turns out to be just as tough as the old one

It's a hell of a way to watch the game. It's great having a crowd that big, especially for a game that had that crazy an ending. The beer was plentiful, and good times were had by all except for the guy who got rabies.

The rest of the cruise was pretty relaxed. Yes, I am aware that is perhaps the second least surprising sentence ever typed in English. The first is "The invasion of Russia went poorly." It was another 5-day, stopping in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Cozumel has turned into a bit of a business stop for us these days. It's sketch-show day for us, so we have to be back on the ship early to tech, so it tends to be spent in exotic locations like "Starbucks" doing things like "Using free internet". If you're wondering, the Spanish word for "Frappuccino" is exactly the same as the English one.

I got to hit the Eden Rock Dive Center again in Cayman, though. It's a great little dive shop that's about a five minute walk from where we tender. "Tendering" is what they call it when we anchor offshore and take a small boat to shore. It's a lot like when you're on a bus, and they can't get you right where you need to go, so the put you on the little tiny bus they keep in the back and drive you there on that. Maybe that's just an LA thing.

Seven-Mile Beach, which is all two of those things

For $5, you can rent a locker at Eden Rock, and hop into the water right out back. There are two reefs nearby, Devil's Grotto and Eden Rock, both filled with fish and all these beautiful coral formations. You can spend a whole day there without realizing it. You find yourself going "Holy crap, look at that iridescent school of fish! Holy crap, there's another one! Holy crap, there's a barracuda! Holy crap, I'm on land!"

View from the pier. Eden Rock is to the right and Devil's Gorge is to the left

The Carnival "Fun Ship" meets the Grand Cayman "Drunken Scurvy Ship"

I also moved into one of the single rooms this week, which is great and a downer. It's great because I finally have my own room, but it's a downer because my old alarm clock was my roommate leaving, so there's a good chance I may accidentally sleep through the next cruise.

All in all, a fun week, and the next one will be even more fun, as I have a special guest.

A slightly better view than when I lived over the meat factory

And now, your moment of zen